We had some ridiculously warm weather in Vermont recently. Temperatures were in the 70s and 80s for about a week straight and there was plenty of sunshine to put us all in good spirits. Well, most of us enjoyed the weather – a few members of the farm found the warm air and sunshine a little oppressive. Our boar Hugo was so hot he could hardly get up to eat!

It’s time for the chickens to move – they’ve fallen in love with our kidding barn. To our annoyance, they’re prone to loafing around and nesting in the hay of our kids’ pens. So we trucked the biddies down to a lower pasture in our first attempt at chicken diversion. But their new spot was too close to their original haunts – they returned to the kidding barn and were back to their old antics in no time. They even stayed past sundown and we were tasked with nighttime chicken catching to get them back into their coop. Our final solution: driving them to one of our farthest pastures right next to our pigs. Now that’s some good chicken trickin’.

Our kid count is up to 87, and more kids means more mammas. It’s about time we move back our barrier in the barn to make room for the milkers.

Almost half of our girls have freshened and on Friday we tasted the first milk of the season! Margot predicts the ladies will have a productive year. Our cheese makers are using this first batch of milk to make some delicious Machester.

Of course, more kids means more kid piles. And who doesn’t love a good kid pile?

While they may not be producing the milk that our cheesemakers turn into delicious cheese, the bucks of our goat herd are just as important as the does. May I present to you Consider Bardwell’s first boy band, “Boyz In Da Barn.” From left to right: Miles – handsome, flamboyant, and a remarkable athlete. Otis – spunky, scrappy, and a great friend. George – gentle, inquisitive, and a hopeless romantic. Tyrone – rugged, ancient, wise as the mighty oak.

I was lucky enough to snap this photo after a totally hot performance in the barnyard. I’ve had their new single, “Goat!” stuck in my head all week!

Although most people know Consider Bardwell Farm for our herd of Oberhasli goats, there are, in fact, a few other breeds and cross-breeds that mingle conspicuously with the others. Perhaps most notable among the herd are the Nubians. With rounded, “Roman” noses, big floppy ears, and multi-colored coats, the Nubians tend to stick out from the black and brown Oberhaslis. We’re pretty certain they can tell they’re different too – the few Nubians we have can usually be found hanging around with each other. We’ve donned them the “Nube Pod”.